96 candidates vying for 45 seats in Kelantan polls

KOTA BHARU - A total of 96 candidates will be vying for 45 seats in the Kelantan state elections on Aug 12.

Pas will contest all 45 seats while Barisan Nasional (BN) to contest 31 seats, followed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) (14), Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) (one) and Independent (five).

A total of 40 seats will witness straight fights, three-cornered fights (four seats) and one seat will see a four-cornered fight.

Kelantan Menteri Besar who is also the state Pas commissioner Datuk Ahmad Yakob will defend the Pasir Pekan seat in a straight fight against Mohamad Zamakh Sari Ibrahim (PH-PKR).

Another candidate in a straight fight is Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah who will defend the Panchor seat, against state PKR Leadership Council (MPN) deputy chairman Syed Mohd Alidustur Syed Mohd Zain (PH-PKR).

Kelantan BN which won seven state seats in the last 14th General Election retained four incumbents, namely Ab Aziz Yusoff in the Nenggiri, Amran Arifin (Paloh), Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim (Galas) and Datuk Mohd Adhan Kechik (Bukit Bunga).

Three new faces who will be fielded to defend BN seats are Zuhairi Zakaria (Gual Ipoh), Muhammad Yamiin Anuar Mat Zin (Kuala Balah) and Ahmad Deraman (Kok Lanas).

Pas, which has 37 state seats and formed a partnership with Bersatu through Perikatan Nasional (PN), will field 23 new candidates or 51.1 per cent in the upcoming polls.

All Pas candidates along with their allies in Bersatu, will use Pas moon logo while BN and PH, who are working together for the first time, will use their respective logos.

At the nomination process today, the nomination paper of Tan Lay Tho, 63, a housewife, who wanted to stand as an independent candidate for the Kota Lama seat was rejected by the Election Commission for failing to comply with the set conditions. - BERNAMA